念珠

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See also: 唸珠

Chinese

to miss; to think of; to read
to miss; to think of; to read; to study (a subject); to attend (a school); to read aloud; idea; remembrance; twenty
 
 pearl; bead
trad. (念珠/唸珠) 念/唸 珠
simp. (念珠) 念 珠

Pronunciation

Noun

念珠

  1. prayer beads; rosary

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 數珠 (“prayer beads; rosary”)
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 數珠, 念珠, 佛珠
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 數珠兒, 念珠兒
Jianghuai Mandarin Yangzhou 佛珠子
Gan Lichuan 念佛珠
Hakka Meixian 佛珠
Yudu 佛珠, 念珠
Jin Taiyuan 念珠
Northern Min Jian'ou 彌陀珠
Southern Min Xiamen 數珠, 香珠, 捾珠
Zhangzhou 捾珠
Tainan 數珠, 念珠, 佛珠
Wu Wenzhou 念佛珠珠, 拜佛珠珠

Derived terms

Japanese

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
念 珠
ねん
Grade: 4 		す > ず
Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 念珠 (nemH t͡ɕio, literally “thinking + pearls”), in reference to “beads used for thinking ”: that is, prayer beads, a rosary. The goon reading, so likely the earliest borrowing. Note that the second character 珠 has a goon reading of su. The su changes to zu as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

Noun

念(ねん)珠(ず) • (nenzu) 

  1. prayer beads, rosary
Usage notes

The reading nenzu is a homophone with several terms of related meanings:

  • the older reading of the term 念誦 (nenzu), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
  • the classical Japanese verb 念ず (nenzu) (modern 念ずる nenzuru or 念じる nenjiru) meaning “to pray, to pray for safety and protection, to recite silently (a prayer, chant, sutra, or the name of Buddha)”.
  • the classical Japanese verb 捻ず or 拈ず (nenzu, obsolete in modern Japanese), meaning “to twist or twirl, to pinch or pick with the fingers”, much as one would twist or pinch the beads of the rosary.

Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

Synonyms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
念 珠
ねん
Grade: 4 		しゅ > じゅ
Grade: S
on'yomi

Alteration of nenzu above, using the kan'on reading of shu for the 珠 character.[2][1] The shu changes to ju as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

Noun

念(ねん)珠(じゅ) • (nenju) 

  1. prayer beads, rosary
Usage notes

The reading nenju is a homophone with the relatively newer reading of the term 念誦 (nenju), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.

Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

Synonyms

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
念珠

Noun

念珠 • (yeomju) (hangeul 염주)

  1. hanja form? of 염주 (“prayer beads, rosary”)
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